2007 Chappellet Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Mountain Cuvee

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Napa Valley 2007

The 2007 vintage is an excellent year that came together in the end to produce a sizeable crop of uniformly great wines throughout the state. The wines have plenty of depth and richness, ample acidity, and are focused and detailed. Many compare it to 2001 in style and it’s a vintage to buy with confidence across the board.

A dry winter was followed by a warm, dry spring, bringing an early start to the ripening cycle. Fine weather prevailed through the moderate to coolish summer with notably few days of triple-digit temperatures, and even fewer-than-average days around 90°F. Chardonnay harvest began a bit early, as warm weather arrived in Napa in mid-August and lasted through early September before cooling significantly. Rain fell mid-month but with little impact, as many early ripeners were already in — Cabernets and Merlot weren’t affected and had plenty of time to rebalance afterwards. Rain returned in the second week of October, but again with little impact. Warm, sunny conditions returned right after the rain, and harvest was concluded in excellent weather by the end of the month.

2007 produced a healthy crop of grapes that, as in so many great years, enjoyed a moderate growing season free of extremes. It is a big, ripe, full-bodied vintage that produced classic California Cabs and has buyers and sellers smiling — one to buy with confidence!

Key Dates

September

Moderate rain falls

October

Slight rainfall leads to favorable harvest conditions

March

Dryness of winter continues through the season

About Chappellet Vineyard

Producer Facts

Winery Name

Chappellet Vineyard

Web Site

http://www.chappellet.com/

Ownership/Management

Don and Molley Chappellet

Chappellet has been described by many as one of the Grand Cru sites of the Napa Valley - an iconic Napa property, a "blue blood" Given the estate's nearly 150-year history, and the tenured track record of the Chappellets, the superlatives are understandable.

In the 1960s, owners Donn and Molly Chappellet took the advice of Napa legend, André Tchelistcheff, and purchased this excellent estate high in the eastern hills above Napa in an area known as Prichard Hill. Since then, they have continued to follow sound guidance, provided by a cast of winemakers that can only be described as all-time. Philip Togni, who made the 1969 Cabernet that Robert Parker called, "One of the greatest Cabernet Sauvignons I have ever tasted from the Valley" was at the helm from 1967-1974. Phil Cafaro, Tony Soter, and Cathy Corison all did turns as well, and Mia Klein, David Long, Robert Pepi, Chris Phelps, and Helen Turley have occupied various roles.

Current winemaker, Phillip Corallo-Titus, began here in 1981, took a short break, and then resumed his role in 1990. Dave Pirio, the vineyard manager, has been on board since 1983. To the Chappellets they are both "extended family." For Phillip, the close knit relationships and connections to the past are very important. Commenting on the early years, he noted, "I know how they made all those wines, and I know how we have made them since. That knowledge is irreplaceable and must be maintained so it can be passed on." Currently, a new generation of Chappellets are working in the wings, learning from the past to ensure continuity in the future.

And while history and tradition are both very important here, Chappellet has also led on many fronts, especially in the field of sustainability. Many environmentally sound practices were adopted here long before they became fashionable. These include composting, water conservation, and solar energy programs, as well as keeping bird boxes with barn owls, kestrels, hawks, and bluebirds to keep gophers, moles, and other pests in check. Biodiesel supplies 50% of their farm machinery, and all of the vines were CCOF-certified organic in 2012.

The entire property encompasses 640 acres on rolling hills at elevations between 800-1,800 feet. Of the 102 acres under vine, 65 are planted to Cabernet Sauvignon. The rest contain small blocks of Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. There is even some Chenin Blanc, which Molly Chappellet insists they keep as part of their heritage. Yields from the Sobrantes and Hambright soils are stubbornly low, totalling only two tons per acre in many years. While Phillip would love to see yields rise to 2.5-3 tons, he notes how much progress has been made in efficiency. "Farming used to be a bit more seat of the pants back in the day. Now we use many more metrics to observe, measure, and quantify what's happening in the vineyard. Dave and I are pretty much joined at the hip these days."

The winemaking facility was also recently renovated and expanded, a long overdue project given the five decades of wear and tear on a facility that was geared more towards the 5,000 cases that Donn and Molly originally envisioned producing rather than their current production. While there is still equipment from the 1960s, there are also new barrel rooms, tanks, tank rooms, fermenters, and a crush pad.

At Chappellet, tradition, ingenuity, and tireless collaboration culminate in beautiful, sturdy, classically styled Cabernets that reflect their origins in the Pritchard Hill environs. These wines are solid and structured, typically requiring a little time to come of age, especially for the top bottles, but well worth the wait. From the modest Mountain Cuvée to the Signature and Pritchard Hill Cabernets, there is something for everyone.

About Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon Facts

Flavor Profile

Full, tannic wines with notes of blackcurrant and cassis

Food Pairings

Grilled red meats, stews, hard or rich cheeses

Cabernet Sauvignon has been the flagship red grape of the California wine industry for decades, and its popularity shows no sign of abating. Napa Valley is the heart of Cabernet Sauvignon production and is clearly an ideal region for creating world-class wines. If any Cabernet-based wine is capable of giving Bordeaux a run for its money, it's Napa Valley's examples. However, due to the extremely high cost of purchasing and developing vineyards in California, and the cachet of Napa Valley on the label, this has largely become a category for the well-heeled wine lover.

At their best, Napa Valley's Cabernets are characterized by fruit notes of cassis, black cherry, and licorice and sweet oak notes of chocolate, mocha, cedar, and tar. Today, most of the best wines are aged entirely or almost completely in French oak barrels, which tend to produce somewhat more refined wines than do most American barrels. (These latter barrels often introduce exotic and pungent suggestions of scotch, bourbon, tar, coconut, and dill.) But the use of expensive French oak is no guarantee of a good bottle: too many wines today, due to high crop levels or insufficiently ripe fruit, do not have the stuffing to support their oakiness and can quickly be dominated or even dried out by their wood component. The best California Cabernets mellow and soften with five to ten years of bottle aging, developing more complex and less fruit-dominated notes of tobacco, leather, and earth, with mellower wood tones. Compared to the top Bordeaux, however, many California Cabernet Sauvignons merely endure in bottle rather than truly become more interesting. There are no shortage of quality producers, even if these wines are rarely values. And it remains to be seen if today's outsized showstoppers, made from superripe grapes and undeniably impressive on release, will reward extended bottle aging or will turn out to have been best suited for drinking in their youth.

Many wines labeled Cabernet Sauvignon contain small percentages of other so-called Bordeaux varieties -- chiefly Merlot and Cabernet Franc but also Petit Verdot and even Malbec (varietally labeled wines in California must contain at least 75% of the variety named).

Cabernet Sauvignon also flourishes in Washington State, Australia and even Chile. In Washington, prices have been creeping up at the high end, with some producers aiming to compete with cult wines from the Napa Valley. Consider Chateau Ste. Michelle and Woodward Canyon. In Australia, look to the Coonawarra and Margaret River regions. Chile can reveal excellent bargains to those who know where to look: Montes makes a strong range of quality bottlings, as does Casa Lapostolle.

As Cabernet Sauvignon is bold and assertive on the palate, it pairs best with foods like grilled red meats. Taken together, the proteins and fats in the food neutralize some of the stronger tannic qualities of the wine, leading to a harmonic combination that enhances both partners.